No More Front Wheel Lift

The Yamaha R1 has been rumored to get all sorts of updates, but the true picture of what the bike will actually be getting is becoming more clear. According to MoreBikes, the Yamaha R1 will get an automatic rear brake that will help keep the front wheel from lifting off the ground.

The company recently patented a feature that uses the ABS system to help keep both tires on the ground. As soon as the system senses the front wheel start to life, the ABS pulses to help keep the front tire down. The other option would have been to add in some kind of traction control system that reduced the amount of power going to the rear wheel.

According to MoreBikes, this new patented system will allow the motorcycle to keep accelerating at a rate the rider wants without the front wheel lifting. It’s an interesting idea and one that many people never would have thought of. It seems counterintuitive to use the brake to go faster, but that appears to be what Yamaha is trying to do here.

The report says nothing about what if the rider actually intends to lift the front wheel for a wheelie. I would hope there’s a way to turn off the special new feature. That way you can have the best of both worlds and lift the front wheel if you feel like it.